monnier



(No Model.)

k 11. MONNIER. AUTOMATIC METHANOMETBR.

NO. 263,939. Patented sept. 5, 1882.

IQlllllF i (No Model.)

3 Sheets-Sham: 2.

1). MONNIER. AUTOMATIC METHANOMBTER.

,939. Patented Sept. 5, 1882.

N. PETERS, PhuQO-Lilhogruphor. Wn-hingtcu. o c.

(No Model.) I 3 she ets sheetrfi.

D. MON NIER. AUTOMATIC METHANOMETBR.

23am W a Ldhcgmpher. Washinglan. u c

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

DEN [S MONNIER, OF GENEVA, SWITZERLAND.

AUTOMATIC METHANOMETER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 263,939, dated September 5, 1882.

Application filed March 19, 1881. (No model.) Patented in France January 14, 1881, No. 140, 617 in Belgium January 20, 1881, No. 53,634; in England January 24, 1881, No.312, and in Germany February 5, 1881, No. 15,679.

v.To all whom it may-concern Be it known that I, DENIS MONNIER, a citi-. zen of the Republic of France, and a resident of Geneva, Switzerland, have invented certain Improvements in Apparatus for Testing Mine- Gases, of which the following is a specification.

The object of my invention is to construct an apparatus for automatically testing the gases of mines and indicating at a distance their density and explosive nature and the presence of fire-damp; and this object I attain by means of the apparatus fully described hereinafter, and which I term a methanometer that is, an apparatus for testing ormeasurin g Sheet 1, is a view of one form of my methan or marsh-gas.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1, apparatus for detecting fire-damp; Fig. 2, Sheet 2, a view of a slightly-modified form of the complete apparatus for testing the gases and indicating their nature Fig. 3, Sheet 1, a diagram illustrating an arrangement of electric circuits in carrying out my invention; and Fig.4, Sheet 3, a side view, drawm to a larger scale, of the automatic lockin g and releasing devices shown at the left-hand side of Fig. 2.

Methan or mine-gas in the presence of an excess of atmospheric air will explode when subjectedto the influence of a spark from an induction-coil or of a platinum wire heated to redness or other means. I avail myself of the condensation or rarefaction which follows such explosion or decomposition within a confined chamber to cause such condensation to act on a column of mercury in a manometer or a flexible diaphragm, piston, or float of a similar apparatus to close electric circuits, and so indicate at a distance the density and explosive nature of the gases, the character of the signal transmitted by the indicating apparatus varyingwith the degree to which the column of mercury or equivalent device fluctuates.

My automatic mthanometer, as illustrated in the accompanying drawings, consists of the following principalelements: a chamber, W, means fordrawing the gases to be tested from the mines into said chamber, and automatic devices for trapping the gases therein and exploding them, a mercury manometer, S, communicating with said chamber W, and an electrical indicating apparatus or signal-transmitter having a series of circuits closed by the rise of the column of mercury in the manometer and giving signals at any desired distance :sayin the office of the mine engineer.

I will first proceed to describe the testing or combustion chamber and means for supplying the gases thereto and the manometer in communieation with said chamber, and for this .purpose will refer toFig. 2, illustrating these devices.

The combustion or testing chamber W, Fig. 2, consists of a small glass vessel, through which passes a fine platinum wire, forming part of an electrical circuit, which is automatieally closed at a certain time, as hereinafter set forth. The interior of this chamber is in communication, through a tube, 10, with a glass manometer, S, containing a column of mercury, and closed at its outer end, so that the pressure of the gases cannot force the mercury out of the manometer. The chamber W has also inlet and outlet nozzles, the former of which communicates, through rubber tubing 1:0, with the mine or source whence the air to be tested is to be drawn, while the outlet-nozzle communicates, through rubber tubing :0 with a bellows or other exhaust mechanism, U, for drawing the air, when required, from the mines into the chamber W. The two'flexible tubes w 20 at a suitable point pass between a cut-oft or looking lever, E, and a clamping-plate, N, to which latter theyare secured, so that when the lever E is pressed up toward the plate the flexible tubes will be clamped between the lever and plate and the passages through the tubes closed, so as to practically trap the gases in the chamber W.

I The locking-lever E is carried by an armature, T, at right angles thereto, acted on by an electro-magnet, Y. This armature is so mounted on the conical points of screws 3 3 that when a current is passed through the coils of the magnet to cause the attraction of the" armature the cut-off lever E will be forced down onto the tubes w 20 so as to clamp them against the plateN and close them. The plate N is mounted so as to be free to oscillate to a certain extent to accommodate itself to the movements of the cut-ofl' lever E and maintain its face parallel with the latter. The rubber tubes act as springs to throw the lever and armature back when released.

With the cut-off lever E, I combine an automatic catch for retaining the lever in the closed position until released at the proper time by the closing of another electric'cireuit. This catch :0, Fig. 4c, is in the form of a cone carried by the pivoted armature or of the electromagnet X. A spring, 00 tends to retract the armature from the magnet and pull the conical catch toward the lever E. The end of this lever is beveled, and when the armature T is not attracted this beveled end of the lever rests against the tapering side of the cone, the spring 00 pulling down the armature 00, so as to push the end of the lever toward the apex of the cone to. When the armature T is attracted the lever E raises the cone and armature 90 until it passes and is caught under the base of the cone. The lever is thus retained in the closed position until the armature a0 is raised by the attraction of the magnet due to the passing of a current through its coils.

The construction of the signal-transmitting apparatus will be more readily understood on reterence to Fig. 1, from which the parts already described, with theexccption of the manometer S, are omitted for the sake of clearness; but before describing this it will be well to explain that the rise of the mercury in the manometer is in proportion to the quantity of explosive gas contained in the volume of air drawn from the mines-that is to say, the greater the proportion of gas exploded in the chamber W by the heated platinum wire the greater the condensation, and consequently the higher will the mercury rise in the small vertical tube of the manometer. I have proved by practical tests that these manometrical indications give uniform results when obtained under similar conditions-that is, when the length of time during which the platinum wire is maintained at a bright-red heat, the temperature of the surrounding air and the barometrical pressure correspond in every case. The barometrical pressure exercises but little influence on the result. The temperature, however, affects them more, but within limits wide enough to allow ot' the. apparatus being adjusted before nsein the galleries of mines,where the temperature is not subject to great variations.

Supposing that the apparatus is to be used in a gallery of a mine where the temperature varies from 30 to 40 cen tigrade, it is adjusted in that case for a mean temperature of 35 centigrade. For this purpose the chamber W and its manometer are placed in a stove at a temperature of 35 centigrade, and the height of a column of mercury which will indicate a mixture of five volumes of methan or fire-damp and ninety-five volumes of air is determined. This heightdivided byfive will give the height corresponding to one per cent. of methan. The experiment is repeated with two, four, six, eight per cent. of gas to check the first result, and the height corresponding to one per cent. is thus exactly fixedr Let it be assumed that this height is 8 mm. Starting from 0 on the index of the manometer, and from 0 at intervals of 8 mm. the tube is pierced by a wire of platinum heated to redness, and in these holes wires of platinum, which penetrate to the interior of the column of the manometer, are inserted and hermetically secured. I have shown eight of these wires, to 1) ed cfg It, thus inserted in the manometer S, Fig. 1. The manometer thus prepared is ready for use in connection with its corresponding testchamber, W. Each such chamber should be carefully gaged and corrected, as it is impossible to produce with the simpleblow-pipe chambers of exactly the same capacity. The wires to b c, &c.,inserted in the side of the manometer above the mercury level, are respectively connected to metallic plates to b c, 850., arranged radially on an ebonite or other noncondnctin g disk, A, mounted on an axis adapted to turn in suitable hearings in the frame of the apparatus. To the same axis is secured a ratchet-wheel, G, and round the said axis is coiled a cord carrying a weight, I, which tends to turn the disk so as to keep the ping on the face of the disk in contact with a fixed stop, Q, on the frame. The ratchet-wheel G is acted on by a gravity-pawl, F, pivoted to the end of the armature-lever D of the electro-magnet 0, whose coils are in the circuit 7 S 9 10, leading from the spring contact-finger B, (bearing onone or other of theplates a b c, &c.,) to the positive element of the battery, the circuit being completed through the wires a b c, 850., and manometer S. Into the ratchet-wheelG also takes a spring pawl, O, pivoted to the frame, and having its outer end connected by a rod, E, to the end of the armature-lever m of the electro-magnet M, whose coils are in another electric circuit, 1 l 12,c0ntrolled by automatic clockwork, as hereinafter set forth. On the connecting-rod E is a pin, 6, which bears on the under side of the pawl F, so that when the armature-lever m is raised to release the pawl 0 from the ratchet G the pin 6 will at the same time raise and release the pawl F from the ratchet. On the end of the armature-lever D or on the pawl F is a tail-piece or contact-point, H, which, when the said armature-lever is attracted by the electro-magnet 0, comes into contact with a tongue, I, and so closes the linecircuit 18 D H I 14 15 16, points K L, hereinafter referred to, and 17, so as to operate a suitable signal instrument or receiver, J, Fig. 3, at a distant point-say in the engineers office;

The transmitting-instrument illustrated in Fig. 2 does not differ materially from that shown in Fig. 1. In this case, instead of having the spring-contact B fixed and the plates at b c, &c., movable, the latter are fixed, and the contact B is mounted on the rotary disk A. The spring-contact H, instead of being carried by the armature-lever D or pawl F, is

.11 will be brought into contact with the point I to close the line-circuit, as above described. The pointsK L are in Fig. 2 shown as in connection with the armature-lever a: insteadiof.

the armature-lever m,as in Fig. 1. In other respects the transmitter shown in Fig. 2 substantially resembles that shown in Fig.1.

of the pin r.

The automatic mechanism for. closing the several circuits consists of a wheel, Z, Fig. -2, mounted on a suitable plate, Z, and slowly rotated in the direction of the arrow by means of suitable clock-work. This-wheel Z carries a knife-edge pin, 4, and two pivoted contactlevers, 1' 1- are mounted on the plate Z, so as to have their tails in the line of movement These leversr r? are so acted on by springs as to be normally held up in contact with corresponding stops, R R, as shown in the drawings, until the pin 7* on the revolving wheel comes into contact with them one after the other, first moving the lever r over metallic plates 1, 2, and 3, mounted on a non-conducting quadrant-shaped ,piece, and

I connected to circuit-wires, as'hereiuafter described. Then, after the pin has slipped over the end of this lever, which is immediately drawn back to thestop R, the pin 1' comes into contact with the lever and moves its outer end over metallic plates 5 4c (also mounted on a non-conductin g quadrant) to close certain other circuits successively.

i The arrangement of circuits is shown in the drawings, Fig. 3, the several circuits, except the line-circuit, being shown connected up to the same battery, 10. y y y The operation is as follows, the several parts of the transmitter being in the positions inditested from the mine.

cated in Figs. 1 and 2: The exhaust-pumpU is first operated about half adozen times, so as to withdraw all atmospheric air from the charm ber W and entirely replace it by the air to be strikes the end of the lever r and causes it to come into contact with the metallic plate 1, and

electro-magnet Y, wires 20, 19, and. 18, and

plate 1. The passing of the current through the coils of the magnet Y causes the latter to attract its armature T, so that the lever, E closes the flexible tubes w 'w and traps the mine-gas in the chamber W and adjoining portions of the tubes, the lever E being retained by the conical catch a? on the armature an. Then as the wheel Z continues its revolution the pin r causes the lever r to come into contact with the metallic plate 2, and closes the circuitifor about fifteen seconds through the plate Z, wire 23 2 1, battery 1), wires 22 10 9 26 25, platinum wire passing through the combustion-chamber W, and plate 2. The plati num wire, being thus heated to redness, causes the explosion of the gases within, the chamber NV, and the resulting condensation causes the mercury in the manometer S to rise. The lever 1",after leaving the plate 2, takes about a.

minute to reach the contact 3, which again closes the same circuit, only through the plate 3 instead of 2, for aboutv fifteen seconds, the

The pin 1' on the ro-, tating wheel Z, Fig. 2, about aminute later object of this second ignition of the platinum wire in, the chamber W being to insure the combustion of any explosive gases which may. have escaped combustion at the first ignition.

about ten minutes to reach the lever 4. Meanwhile, if the proportion of explosive gas in the volume of air in the chamber has been such that the resulting condensation has raised the column of mercury as high as the first wire, a, it will have closed the circuit through the manometer, wire 6, battery p, wires 22, 10', and 9, coils of the electro-magnet 0, wire 8 7, arm B, plate a, and Wire a. The electro-magnet 0 will then. attract the armature-lever D, so as to cause the pawl F to rotate the disk the extent of one tooth of the ratchet'Gr and bring the arm B intocontact with the plate b. If the mercury has risen to the second wire, I), the operation will be repeated and the arm B brought into contact with the third plate, 0,

and so on,should the mercury have risen.

higher. Should it have risen only to the first wire, a, then the movement of the arm B to the plate I) will break the circuit and the action will cease, unless the fluctuations of the mercury shall rise .to the wire I). The attraction of the armature-lever D brings the point H into contact with the point I and closes the line-circuit 13, H, I, 14, .15, K, L, and 17, so as to cause the receiver at the distant station to give a signal corresponding with the operation of the transmitter, and to indicate in this manner the presence of fire-damp in the air in the mines. About ten minutes later the pin 1' comes into contact with thetail of the lever r and brings it over the plate 5, so as to close the circuit through the, plate Z, wire 23 24, battery 19, wires 22 10 9 26 27 30, coils of the magnet X, wires 29 28, and plate .5. l The electro-magnet X is thus caused to attract the armature w, and so release the lever E, which,

springs back under the action of the rubber tubes, the latter beingthus opened for the next operation. When the lever 1" comes into contact with the plate 4 the circuit is closed through the plate Z, wire 23 24, battery 10, wires 22 109 26 27 12, coils of the electromagnet M and wire 11, and' plate 4, so as to cause the attraction of the armature-lever m. This frees the ratchet Gfrom the pawls F and O, and. the weight P then returns the diskA to its normal position, with the pin q in contact with the stop Q and the arm B in contact with the first plate, a. The line-circuit is broken at KL, either while the disk A is returning to its normal position, Fig. 1, or when the lever E, Figs. 2 and 3, is freed, to open the tubes w 10 and admit fresh air toallow the mercury in the manometer to return to its normal level, and the line being thus broken at K L, fluctuations ot' the mercury cannot accidentally close the circuit at those times.

The reason Why the platinum wire in the ICO IIO

icombustion-chamberis preferably heated twice.

being suddenly brought to a high temperature, causes the gas inclosed in the chamber to expand instantly, and a portion thereof, being driven back into the manometer, escapes combustion. During the time allowed for the cooling of the wire the gas which had previously escaped combustion passes back into the chamber W, where it is consumed at the second ignition. If the rubber tube which connects the chamber W with the manometer were closed, so as to shutoff communication during the ignition of the wire, complete combustion might be obtained with one heating of the wire; but in that case the chamber would be liable to burst, and it is to avoid such an accident that communication between the chamber and manometer is always left open.

The various parts of the machine above described are preferably mounted on a strong plate of brass, to one face of which are secured the combustion-chamber, its manometer, and the clock-work of the automatic contacts. On the other side are the transmitter and the devices for locking and releasing the. rubber tubes, the whole being incased in a closed box.

The receiving apparatusJ is preferably similar in construction to the transmitter, with plates numbered from 1 to 8 to indicate from one to eight per cent. of fire-damp. By doubling the number of plates or by quadrupling them, as well as the platinum wires of the manometer, as high apercentage as twen ty-flve or fifty may be indicated, if desired. The numbered plates of the receiver are provided with contact-points, in order to sound a continuous alarm when the proportions of the gaseous mixture approach the limit which it is desirable not to exceed. This receiver may be placed in a central office-in the engine-room, for instance-and thence warnin gs may be issuedin as many directions as desirable. Each time the mercury in the manometer reaches a division or wire a b c, &c., the needle of the dial of the receiver will give a corresponding indication. Any fluctuations of the mercury below the highest point it may have reached will not be recorded, however, since each wire can only transmit the current once.

Should it be desired to keep inoperation several-say four--of these apparatus in difi'erent galleries of a mine by means of a single connecting-line, the clocks of the four test apparatus can be each fifteen minutes ahead of the other. Thus, for instance, the first will be set to operate at nine oclock, the. next at a quarter past nine, the third at half past nine, and the-fourth at a quarter to ten.

I claim as my invention- 1. The combination of a combustion-chamber,W,with a manometer communicating with the interior of the said chamber, and an electrical signal-instrument operated by the fluctuations of the mercury or other body in the manometer, substantially as set forth.

2. The combination of the combustion-chamber, mechanism for drawing the air to be tested with aninterval of a minute is, that the wire, I into said combustion-chamber, and devices,

substantially as described, for trapping the air therein, with a manometer and an electrical 7o signal-instrument operated by the fluctuations of the mercury or other body in the manometer, substantially as described.

3. The combination of a chamber, W, and a platinum wire therein, forming part of an electric circuit, with a manometer communicating with the interior of said chamber, and an electrical signal operated by the fluctuations of the mercury or other body in the manometer, all substantially as specified.

4. The combination of acombustion-chamber, W, with an electrical signal-instrument, and a mercury manometer having one or more wires introduced through its wall, and forming part of a circuit operating the said signal-instrument, substantially as described.

5. The combination of a combustion-chamber, W, flexible tubes w w and exhaust apparatus U with a clamping-plate, lever E, electro-magnet, and armature carrying said lever, all substantially as set forth.

6. The combination of a combustion-chamber, W, flexible inlet and outlet tubes, with electro-magnet, and armature carrying a locking-lever for the tubes, and a spring-catch for retaining said lever.

7. The combination of a combustion-chamber, flexible inlet and outlet tubes, with electro-magnet Y, and armature carrying a locking-lever, E, and electro-magnet X, and armature carrying a catch for said locking-lever.

8. The combination of a combustion-chamber, and manometer in communication therewith, with an electrical transmitter operated by the fluctuations of the mercury or other body in the manometer, and a receiver operated by the transmitter, all substantially as specified.

9. The combination of a combustion-chamber, platinum wire therein, and inlet and outlet tubes with electro-magnet Y, lockin g mechanism operated thereby, circuits, contacts, and mechanism, substantially'as described, for antomatically and successively closing the circuits.

10. The combination of a combustion-chamber, inlet and outlet tubes, with electro-magnet Y, locking mechanism operated thereby, electro-magnet X, and armature carrying a retaming-catch for said lever, and automatic mechanism, substantially as described, for successively closing the circuits of said magnets.

11. The combination of a revolving wheel having a pin, 1, with spring-lever r, stop, contact-plates, and circuits, all substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have'signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

TOO

IIO

DENIS MONNIER.

Witnesses ERNEST HUMBERT, EMILE HUMBERT. 

